THE LATEST CONVEYOR BELT
An early-season draw by a newly-promoted side like Fulham can be enough to send some people into a blind panic, the kind of wild flat spin and accompanying loss of perspective that eventually leads to grassroots levels of Orange. delinquency. But the men at Wolverhampton Wanderers are considerably calmer in disposition than the distraught Darvin Núñez. The disappointing draw with the Cottagers? No need to worry, fuss and fuss! Let’s simply respond by quietly and efficiently breaking the club’s transfer record for one of the most talked about young midfielders in Europe! And there we have it, the spirit restored in one shot. All cool again, and no need to screw anyone over yet.
Sporting’s Matheus Nunes is the latest career player to come, in more ways than one, on the Jorge Mendes Expressway, that well-trodden toll road that runs straight from Portugal to the West Midlands. This particular trip has cost Wolves an initial £38 million, plus your five million continental euros in potential add-ons, should things happen. The fee surpasses Wolves’ previous biggest spend, the €35m Porto paid for Fábio Silva, who is now on loan at Anderlecht, where he has already scored more goals (five) in six appearances than he did for Wolves ( four) in 63. This is very promising news for Wolves in the long term, and yet they would not be human if these statistics did not make their teeth. It’s okay to be unsure of how to process these kinds of things.
Silva was very young when he arrived at Molineux though – he is still only 20 – but more will be expected of the 23-year-old Nunes’ arrival. He has already helped Sporting to their first Portuguese title in almost 20 years, while Pep Guardiola has described him as “one of the best players in the world today”. With Manchester City sniffing around the versatile midfielder as a result, and Liverpool having also shown serious interest, this is something of a coup for Wolves. The only slight downside for fans is the almost certain knowledge that the club will only be able to stick with Nunes for so long – the words “it’s the right next step for me!” betray that state in plain sight – but they’ll enjoy it while it lasts, and it’s not like there won’t be plenty of fresh meat pouring down JMH soon.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s been a strange start, we can’t say it enough” – Leipzig sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff isn’t mincing his words after two draws from their first two Bundesliga games.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
In the pod we have faith. It’s the last weekly football extra.
FIVE LETTERS
“I always feel bad for the fans at abandoned games and so I spared a thought for those fans who turned up at Grimsby against Carlisle on Tuesday, only to see it washed out after 39 minutes. In August. Maybe to make them feel better, does anyone have any good/bad stories about washed match travel?” – Clara Sidney.
“Given all the excitement after Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge, I’m surprised no one has taken us back to June 14, 2006 when Peter Crouch scored England’s first goal against Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup, pulling Brent’s hair. Sancho. Crouch escaped a ban, Sancho said it was all part of the game and England went on to reach the quarter-finals. And Crouch was playing for Liverpool at the time. Selective memory?” – James Hepple.
Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our priceless letter of the day is … Clara Sidney.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Another day, another billionaire inserting himself into the Manchester United ownership discussion. This time it’s Brexit’s Jim Ratcliffe. “If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” cheered a spokesman for the Ineos founder. “If something like that were possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.” In response, the United Supporters’ Trust stated: “Any potential new owner or investor must commit to the culture, ethos and best traditions of the club. They must be willing to invest to bring United back to their former glory.”
Two African players from Viborg are unable to travel for their Tin Pot play-off against West Ham because of English entry rules for non-EU citizens after Brexit.
Deloitte’s annual report is out, with the latest edition suggesting that revenue in the combined European football market rose by 10% to €27.6bn in 2020-21.
Aldershot Town have apologized to Boreham Wood for their fans’ behavior during Tuesday’s 2-1 National League win. “We should hang our heads in shame thanks to a minority in the away end who disgraced our club with their mindless and destructive behaviour,” chairman Shahid Azeem said, adding that home goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore was verbally abused and damage was done to the Meadow . The park.
Juventus striker Lina Hurtig is now Arsenal striker Lina Hurtig.
If you weren’t feeling old, this might do the trick: Stoke City are a point clear in the Championship after D’Margio Wright-Phillips – nephew of Ian Wright – scored in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough. Then again, it also says that Phil Jagielka bagged an own goal, so maybe all is not lost?
And it wouldn’t be a daily football message these days without mentioning a Nottingham Forest signing: they have agreed a record £35million deal, plus add-ons, for Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White.
GOAL OF THE DAY
Tin Pot is welcome! Or at least Victor Edvardsen yes for Djurgarden in their 3-0 play-off win over Apoel.
WANT STILL MORE?
“Young people can’t believe that I played for Chelsea”, says Gus Poyet in this interview. Then again, your Fiver on the ball didn’t even know he was in charge of Greece, so…
You, us, everyone wants a quick fix, but sometimes changing a strategy takes time. Karen Carney reckons Arsenal could be about to reap the rewards.
Seven years after signing for Liverpool, Taiwo Awoniyi has finally made his mark in the Premier League, as Will Unwin explains.
“I’ve seen a few clips here and there. I’m not going to lie… I’ve seen my pass a few times since the final’ – Euro 2022 winner Keira Walsh is back in Manchester City action as the Women’s FA Cup kicks off. She talks to Luke McLaughlin.
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